FiFiW

Thanks all. It has been pretty much as you all said. Massive issue collectively with liveaboards just miles and never ending miles of them - those I saw were friendly I should point out not personally come across any bad feeling (apart from one complete wingnut which I will keep to myself - you get those anywhere though). I was talking to a Canal & River Trust employee and they are so frustrated as dealing with the illegals & unsafe boats is a long, lengthy & complex process - many of these boaters know this and play the system & the Trust being such & considered charitable even more so. Such a shame as it’s a beautiful part of the country and we have locked with some lovely boaters this last week. Sadly didn’t get to Bristol, not a single mooring to be found on River Avon, we should have stayed at Bath & headed to Bristol in a day but instead found ourselves having to create a mooring for ourselves and another boat just past the Jolly Sailor (all safe & secure) so we decided that’s not fun so turned back from there. In general, we got to stop where we needed or wanted but mooring thoughts were present in my mind constantly. I can’t see myself doing this stretch again, not really enough cruising hours in the week for me but did enjoy fewer locks than other routes. Locks are a funny thing, you are glad when they are done but wouldn’t want to be without them! Where to next I wonder?!

Thanks all! Some really helpful advice - I will have a look at East K&A but I suppose all the obvious attractions of West end sent me off in that direction when planning. I’m not perturbed at all by live aboards - variety colours the landscape and makes for a more interesting waterway. I can deal with criticism too being on a hire boat, we’ve had that in the past but I’ve generally got more canal cruising experience than most of them anyway so I always have that up my sleeve if they rattle me too much & I would never not slow down past moored boats - I enjoy nosing at the boats as I pass. We don’t plan to shop other than groceries or eat out every night, just 2 or 3 times to add variety to our evenings. We love the cruising, the landscape and the pace of life mostly but for our teens to break it up with a few built up areas in-between made this section a good choice. Caen Hill locks at the start and end of the holiday might be a bit much so I think I’ve made my bed to be honest ….

We have booked a week hiring from Foxhangers in July and I’m a bit worried about some of the things I have been hearing about this canal. I thought I’d been smart by booking from a hirer just after Caen Hill locks so a fairly easy run through to Bristol from there. I’m just wondering how it will be in reality at that time of year. I hear about lack of moorings, shallow moorings so I’m wondering if we will have to do shorter days to be able to get a mooring where we want to stop, Bradford Upon Avon, Bath, Bristol. We had a holiday like that a several years ago and to get a pub dinner we found we were having to end the day to get a mooring by mid afternoon to get in & sometimes you just couldn’t get near or tow paths further down weren’t good enough for you to walk back -so disappointing when you think you are getting a night off the cooking only to have to push on, I do like a nice balance of pub & cook onboard across the week. I chose Kennet & Avon as my late dad was heavily interested in the restoration of this canal back in the day but never got to actually get on it himself so I thought it would be a nice canal to do . I’ve boated all my life so pretty experienced just don’t own one myself - yet! I was hoping to stop first night at the Barge Inn at Seend but I think I will have plenty of company in that choice of first stop - hopefully not needing much of a handover we will get away sharpish (fingers crossed). Any advice very welcome!

Oh yes would never do that in a week, that would be slog too far, we will have 10 days for this. Even so we would put in some long days to ensure we get some more relaxing days & take in some sights along the way.

Hi all, thanks for all of your contributions. I like the sound of Oxford but now I'm also thinking of maybe doing the Avon ring. I attempted this with my parents (Chedworth, Jolly Thresher) as a 2 boat convoy but it was 2007 and the river was flooded so we ended up turning back at Stratford. Might be worth having another go at it. We don't have much luck with rings - we planned on doing the Cheshire Ring in 2016 but were thwarted by a breach!

Hi all, I'm a long term boater - well born into it as my parents had a boat all their married lives, well into retirement. The husband isn't keen on the expense of us owning our own but humours me with hire boating. I'm pretty familiar with the canal network, particularly T&M, Shroppie & Llangollen as this is where we were based & have hired before. I've also done the Stourport ring. I'm now thinking let's go further afield, so I'm looking at hiring from a more southerly base. I've cruised the southern network but many many moons ago so I would love some advice on some nice routes and hire bases we could look into. I'm thinking 7 or 10 days and will be end of July, don't mind locks or tunnels - in fact we enjoy them. Therefore, I think i'd prefer to stick to canals rather than Thames so there's plenty for us to see and do as we are quite an active family but we will consider any advice on this. A few canalside pubs along the way would add to our holiday too! Thank you!

Hi there, we were all planned to do the Cheshire Ring last year, heavily researched and then we were notified of a slippage at Bollington literally 2 days before we set off so we couldn't get round. We do the 4 counties in May so I'm hoping last year's bad luck won't follow us!!! I'd recommend Pearson & Son Canal Companion Cheshire Ring book for great up to date info. We were advised to get through the Ashton before 2pm partly because of nuisances (school holidays) but mainly because of lack of water, apparently this gets worse as the day goes on. We were going to go clockwise from Acton Bridge and our planned stops (often due to a decent pub in the vicinity) were: Grappenhall (Rams Head) Castlefields to get a good start at the Ashton flight Romiley (a big day but warned not to moor up before Dukinfield) Adlington Basin Congleton Wheelock (Barchetta Italian Canalside) Acton Bridge Some big days in there but we only had a week but it might give you some ideas.

Thanks Halsall we saw your very interesting boat on the Caldon a few times - we were two Black Prince Boats. As a kid I was always pestering my dad to stop at Marbury (he wasn't ever really keen setting off from only Anderton!) but haven't stopped there since 2008 and things have changed. I think I agree about lift, as I've been up and down it a few times before and since restoration, my dad was beside himself but to us it was just a bath of water much like a lock as kids. We are currently at flash 2 from middlewich kayaking so may just have a late late start instead.

Hi quick question. Are there still decent moorings park side, day time for Marbury Country Park and also how interesting for kids is the Anderton lift bridge visitor centre for kids. We are 3hrs away from returning our boat and I thought we could do something interesting with our last day.

Hi Halsall you passed us today just after engine lock before you went under lift bridge! Looks like you sell some great boat essentials, what is your supply area?

Ok great thanks! ?? we shall see how we feel after the 12, and Harecastle, I wondered if Westport was a nice area. Long may this fine weather continue ☀️

Hi all, currently en route to Caldon. We've had a long day today Broken Cross to Rode Heath, so tomorrow 12 locks and the harecastle should be an erm walk in the park! We plan a bbq, can anyone recommend a decent safe stopover, I'm thinking maybe Festival Park but if we push on where after then on to Caldon? Thank you.

Thank you thats good to know!

Yeah we looked at that but I think I prefer the Caldon route. If we push on to Middlewich on the Saturday, does anyone know how likely it will be for us to get a mooring at 6.30pm+?

Well we thought about doing the ring up to the breach and then heading back as its pretty much a half way point. However, the guy at the base doing the Ashton twice would be a nightmare and also recommends the Caldon so I think this is probably what we will end up doing!

Hi Ray, yes well that closure almost thwarted our plans to head that way at all but its reopened its this one (below) which is still until further notice and canal has been drained. Our friends think that if we head that way it could be reopened by the time we get there, experience makes me think otherwise! Macclesfield Canal: Bridge 27, Kerridge Road Bridge Ends At: Bridge 26, Sugar Lane Bridge Up Stream Winding Hole: Between bridges 25 and 26. Down Stream Winding Hole: Bollington Wharf

Thank you, 4 counties seems a real slog from Acton - wish we had longer than a week now! Caldon looks interesting & I'm not sure if I've ever done this canal so will look into this! Our other idea, is just going around the Cheshire Ring as far as we can and coming back seeing as though I have us arriving at that point around Day 4 its more or less half way around.

Hi we have been booked in at Acton Bridge for a year to do the Cheshire Ring, the route, stops all planned - even a couple of pubs booked. Then disaster, I get a call a couple of hours ago to say that we cannot do the ring as there is a stoppage at Bollington! Suggested route is to Chester and back, but I'm from Chester so no thanks (I've also done this route a lot)! I've done the Llangollen so many times. That leaves me with a to and fro route as far as I can see up the Shroppie? We are a two boat convoy, its Whit week so no chance of getting two boats from one base now. We only have a week, where could we get to and back from this base reasonably - we don't mind putting the hours in. Thanks, we are so disappointed!

Thanks Philip, spot on its all about canal, with pub rewards!

Perfect, thanks guys my guide is a little dated ...!

Ok I get that but do you not think I know what a plank is for? When I plan to eat out I want to eat out, but if the tow path is missing or canal so shallow that a boat couldn't pass you as you would be that far out then plan b is sadly needed. Up until I restarted boating with my family in 2007 it had been a number of years since I had last boated and having to do the Stourport ring because the Severn was flooded was a real eye opener as to how much moorings and towpaths on the canals we navigated had deteriorated, combined with a lack of dredging. Hopefully things have improved so this is what I was trying to gauge.

Hi Ian, that's really helpful thank you! any recommendations pub wise? I don't know why some feel the need to sneer at and judge other people's choices then say each to their own?!

Ha I'm from Chester so won't be doing that! I think the plan is to do a couple of long days cruising eat and drink onboard and moor up early the other days near a pub if possible. I've well over 20 years boating experience so know the canal network like the back of my hand but not particularly pubs and rings weren't really our thing back then, it was IWA rallies and to and from places. The ring is what they want so that's what I'm looking into.

Hi thanks David thanks for the idealistic reply but on our last holiday this simply was not possible as there was no end of the line of the boats as the towpath became too unsafe to walk to the pub after a certain point. It's a bit daft in my opinion to insinuate that a boater is too lazy to walk to the pub isn't it? Given the energetic nature of the holiday, but to clarify walking is not an issue. Thanks Val don't read too much into my comments I'm simply looking for advice as to the state of the moorings, pubs etc. as I'm the experienced boater its expected of me to come up with the planning and my comment about pressure was light hearted, as if there was a chance I wasn't going to enjoy it I wouldn't book it.

Hi all, we are doing the Cheshire Ring next Whit probably from Acton Bridge in a Black Prince hire boat. Having been brought up holidaying on dad's boat I'm very experienced with boating, so I have no concerns about the route. We are travelling with another family and the aim is to be able to moor up near a pub as many nights as possible to avoid cooking - I've never boated this way so I need to come up with a workable plan ie getting the mileage in and finding a pub. When we did the Stourport Ring a few years ago any stretch of canal with a pub anywhere close to the canal was completely rammed with boats moored up well before 5pm and the only time we could get a pub meal was a day when we moored up at 3pm. Is this the same for Cheshire canals as it will be school holidays too? The shortage of moorings really put my husband off last time as we sometimes had to push on for much longer than we wanted to, just to find a patch of bank clear and deep enough to pull in at. I really want this to be a positive experience for everyone, particularly my husband. I imagine there is probably a pub guide to this popular ring somewhere on the web but I would welcome any advice. Any pubs advice would be welcome too, more about the food than the beer (well for me anyway!). I'm feeling the pressure already! thanks